on the trail of the archaic revival

This site is not a just recipe website, although thats what it comes across as. What we are really sharing here are techniques: some of which our ancestors perfected over years and years, all over the world. Fermentation, soaking grains, beneficial herbs, bone broth, & preserving food are all part of what we like to call 'the archaic revival'. We also serve up ideas, challenges and neat foods and vegetables that you may not have tried.

Our priority is to use fresh organic produce, dairy, grains and meats. We begin with the groceries available to us (and that we can afford), preferably at a local farmers market and/or co-op. Once we have our ingredients, then we either look them up in the index of one of our fave cookbooks, or barge ahead on inspiration. One thing we are sure of - organic just tastes (feels!) better. Because we really love food, its all about using wonderful ingredients.

connecting food to farming

Its difficult to over-estimate the value of farmers and their endeavors. Given the importance of their work to our health, they would seem to deserve all our affection and more. We are encouraged by the recent trend away from big agriculture and monoculture. The small (and large) organic farms that are cropping up all around the world are making life better for their communities, and maybe for all of us. Organic meat, cheese, wine and beer are also making inroads to modern life. Sometimes the word 'conscious' comes up in place of organic: this word denotes the sense of personal responsibility that may lead to a better future.

contact us

We welcome your input, comments, submissions and suggestions. If you have questions about a recipe, life in northern california or kung-fu cooking, we would be happy to answer them. mail at wonderfulingredients dot com

spaghetti chicken

a gorgeous frozen turkey from my mom and dylan with a hankering for his mom's 'spaghetti chicken' introduced me to this winner of a recipe. after a lengthy call with his mom (thanks M!) and a few scribbled notes i undertook the semi-monumental task of replicating my loved ones childhood favorites. i've made it with turkey and with chicken now, and each time it is accompanied with accolades. this is truly a simple "working moms" recipe: quick to prepare, easy to clean up, feeds the whole lot! i bake mine in a covered pyrex, it could just as easily be accomplished stove top with a big lidded pot (i need one of these). serve with rice, pasta, french bread or salad, it all tastes good... and worth mentioning, great leftover possibilities!

pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. add the mushrooms and a splash of olive oil to a large (cast iron is great) pan, saute on medium heat for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. once the mushrooms have taken on a nice brown, add the sliced onions, and continue saute another 2-3 minutes until soft and golden, adding more oil as needed. set aside the sauteed onions and mushrooms in a bowl.

keeping the heat at medium add a bit more olive oil to the same pan. add the chicken pieces, turning when necessary to quickly brown (not cook), 1 minute or so each side. once you have seared the chicken pieces, place them in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

back to the pan, add your tomatoes. bring to a simmer, add the onion and mushroom mixture, the sugar to sweeten it up, the oregano and cup of red wine. rinse your black olives with a little water, strain, and add to the pan. if you like a thicker sauce, strain the tomatoes and and/or cook the sauce down for an extra ten minutes. salt and pepper to taste.

now, pour the entire pan of tomato sauce over the chicken pieces and cover tightly with tin foil. you should have a good 1/4” of space between the top of the liquid in the pan and the edge, though, if your dish is like mine, the chicken will be heaped w/ sauce. place in the oven, cover and bake for 45-55 minutes at 375 degrees, until the chicken is fork tender and cooked through. as a side note: i like to put a large cookie sheet on the rack beneath the dish to catch any possible spillage.

remove from oven and serve hot like we did in the picture above with a cold bean salad and your neighbors home-brewed hard apple cider.